DC Gothic
by gothicjedi666
Summary: So here is the DC Gothic Story as promised. I needed a break from The First Gothic anyway and Necromancer Gothic is proving to tricky to write so I decided to do something else. This story is also a bit different from the others in that it starts at the end and everything is explained via flash back. It should amuse me thinks. Normally warnings for my stories.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note. So here is the DC Gothic Story as promised. I needed a break from The First Gothic anyway and Necromancer Gothic is proving to tricky to write so I decided to take a break and do something else. This story is also a bit different from the others in that it starts at the end and everything is explained via one big flash back. It should amuse me thinks. **

**DC Gothic. Prologue **

**Five Thousand Years Into The Future. DC Dimension. The Palace Of Exile. **

"So they exiled you to a palace?" asked Superman as I escorted him down a long corridor to the dining room where the robots who served me were laying out a large dinner for two.

"Humanity outgrew me," I replied "partly due to my efforts. They have evolved into something I can no longer led. I become obsolete but since I can't die they decided to give me a comfortable home here until the sun goes super nova".

That really didn't answer Superman's question so as we sat down at a table not different from something Batman might have made us of at Wayne Manor I explained further.

"It started centuries ago humanity began to change becoming a race of metahumans that was was more psychic than the generations that came before. Since psychic powers or even simply strong mental shields can block my ability to copy skills and abilities I was no longer top dog as it were. The process took a centuries but in the end humanity surpassed its leader and they decided to exile me here while they become something more like the Guardians of Oa.

"Some exile" commented Clark Kent as he admired the fine works of art and expensive furniture that decorated my home.

"I'm not a criminal" I pointed out "I am in fact the single most important human being whoever lived, at least in this reality. Its just that now, well human beings like me even meta ones don't matter any more".

Superman sat down and began devouring his food. He was under a red sun these days so he actually needed to eat in order to live and judging by the tattered clothing he wore he'd had a hard time surviving what this world had become.

"So they left you here to die?" inquired the Man Of Steel between bites of food.

I considered my answer before replying.

"I'm sure that they could of found a way to destroy me if they wished. Everyone and everything has it limits after all. Throwing me into a blackhole would of done the job nicely and I'm pretty sure that when the sun goes nova that I will die or at least cease to exist in any meaningful way. I might be able to heal any wound I suffer but if the sun consumes everything in a nuclear inferno there won't be anything of me left of me to heal".

Or at least that was the idea. No one was eager to test that idea out most of all me but I had been assured that the nuclear inferno that is a exploding star would destroy me. Matter can't be created or destroy only transformed from one state to another but a sun should change the matter that makes up my body enough that it would never restores itself.

"So this is more like retirement" reasoned Kal El "or being put out to pasture".

On the surface of things that might of sounded a lot like a insult what with me being compared to livestock and all but Kent had grown up on a farm he was simply use the expression as a way to better understand what was happening here.

"That sounds about right" I replied "this is my retirement home".

Superman was devouring the food quite rapidly so I motioned to one of the multi limbed robots and told it to make this a twelve course meal.

"I don't think I'll be staying long enough for desert" mentioned the founder of the Justice League.

That made me laugh.

"Where are you going to go?" I asked him "the sun went red during the last war your powerless here and I'm the only person on this planet, well at least the only one with a working time machine".

That got Kent's full attention.

"You can send me back?" he demanded to know.

I nodded and said.

"Of course I can because you were there in my past if I don't send you back things will change. I'm just securing my time line. I can't go back myself but you can as you must have done".

Superman was in his own right a genius but even he was confused by that statement so I clarified my last statement.

"Toyman sent you five thousand years forward int time, not on purpose but he managed it. This means that you don't exist in the time line between the point you left and when you arrived here so unlike me you can go back to any point in time between when you arrived now and after you left. Originally you should of met Savage here and done the same thing but I dealt with him along a time ago".

"Who?" inquired Superman.

He likely did know about Savage but since I had dealt with the insane immortal quite early on it wasn't surprising that Superman had no idea who I was talking about. The DC Earth of that time period didn't lack for villains and not even Superman could remember them all.

"Vandal Savage was, still is in fact, a caveman who became immortal due to sleeping next to a meteor rock, or at least that's his story. I became immortal by copying his immortality".

"How?" asked Superman.

If he kept asking questions it was going to take a long time to get through all of this but I had all the time in the world so it didn't matter.

"I started out with one super power which is called Visual Power Replication. In simple terms I have the power to copy another being's power and abilities by simply seeing them being used"

It was a little bit more complex than that so I explained further.

"This ability is partly psychic which is why when humanity evolved started to evolve into a psychic race I lost control. I could no longer use my power to keep ahead of the other super powered humans. Its also why I didn't because Earth's most powerful anti-hero simply by sitting down at a computer and to watch videos of metahumans using their gifts. I have to see a power or ability in action with my own eyes in order to copy it and it only works on humans anyway".

Which was why I'd never been able to beat Superman using his own powers he wasn't human and neither were most of the Leagues other founders. Aside from the Flash whose super speed seemed to prevent me from copying his powers as he was to fast to really see in action. And as for Batman his skills were useful to copy but until I'd gotten access to the kind of funding and advanced technology he had they had been of limited use.

"So you found this Savage and stole his immortality" stated Kent.

I shook my head.

"No I copied them I don't steal them I simply use my power to replicate another metahuman's powers. Anyway right now that's not important. What is important is that I copied Savages' power and then exiled him to a reality where he couldn't hurt anybody".

"Wait hold on" demanded Superman "You might not be able travel back in your own time line but you could go to another reality and then travel back in time. So why haven't you?

That was a good question and I had an equally good answer.

"Because I'm over five thousand years old. I'm really old Superman I don't look a day over twenty- five but I remember it all. I've gotten to the point were I simply don't care enough to start over".

Which was completely true. I was now older than some civilizations and that gave me a perspective I had hadn't had when I first started on the path that led me here. These days I understood that it simply wasn't worth the effort to build empires and to conquer words.

"So for now I have no intention of starting over elsewhere. Maybe one day I will but that would in a dimension very different from any you know and I'll be doing something very different in those dimensions than I did here.".

This conversation was getting way off track so I decided to remedy that.

"What you really to know is this. I will in a day or two send you back in time to a point after you 'died' and when that happens you will have to decide something".

"And what's that?" questioned the Man Of Steel.

"If your going to stop me or not".

"Of course I'll stop you" insisted the crime fighter "you told me when we met that you took over the world!".

I had a counter argument for that.

"But remember that from my point of view you never did stop me despite the fact that you will remember this conversation when you return, and I think I know why".

"Enlighten me" requested the super hero in a tone of voice that told me that he wasn't going to be convinced easily.

"There are only two reasons why you wouldn't stop me from taking over your world. They are that you couldn't stop me, which is unlikely given how powerful you are, or that for some reason you chose not to stop me".

I paused for a moment to let that sink in.

"While you told me once, or one day will tell me, that we would met like this you never told me why you let me run free knowing that one day I would take over the world. You even let me join the League knowing what you know now. I can only assume that your plan was to teach me a better way to use my powers or perhaps you knew that the day was coming when the world would need a strong hand to guide it".

"That ridiculous" protested Kal El "there's no justification imaginable that would cause me to do nothing while you took over the world".

Again I couldn't help but laugh.

"A few spring to mind" I told the Man Of Steel "for example what if my ruling of humanity not saved all mankind but allowed it to progress to a point where a human run empire brought real and lasting peace to an entire galaxy".

He actually considered my point so I kept going.

"I've been to a lot of versions of your world and few them have a future worth looking forward to, even in the ones where humanity survives its not pretty. Crime and corruption run rampant and process stalls. You've seen this for yourself or at least will do".

"What do you mean" I was asked.

"Take for example space travel. You'd think with all that left over technology from countless alien invasions and other visitations that humanity should be able to venture out into the galaxy rather easily its not like your world is lacking in geniuses. You and your League friends have been all over the universe yet why is not on nation on Earth trying to colonise other worlds?".

That was a hard question to answer I didn't have an answer to give and neither did he.

"I've seen universes were humanity does spread out but its takes them thousands of years to get the point I got humanity to in mere centuries. You'd think given the amount of times this Earth was nearly destroyed that a lot of people would be very eager to ensure that humanity didn't die with it should the worse happen. Yet next to no effort is made do this, at least not in comparison to when the space race was happening".

"So that's your justification for becoming a tyrant?" asked Clark Kent "you took over to protect humanity and to ensure it progressed".

I could of lied but I decided not to.

"Not when I started no. My original goal was far more selfish I simply wanted to stay alive. Later it became about power after than it was all about conquest and bringing order to a world filled with evil. But in the long run my goal was to see my species prosper. Deep down that might have always been the goal perhaps that was why I was sent here".

"Your not from this Earth?" inquired Kent.

He really was a reporter at heart he knew just what questions to ask in order to get the most information out of me.

"I'm from a version of Earth" I answered "I was born a normal human being. In fact I was quite unremarkable as people go but that all changed one day. I spent most of my second chance at life moving from one goal to the next so I never really bothered to find out why I was brought to your world in the first place".

Superman rubbed his eyes and I could see how tired he was.

"Why don't you get some sleep" I offered "we can spare a few days before sending you back".

"No" he replied "If your going to try and convince not to interfere with your past self then I need to know everything you did until today and if its going to take days to explain then you'd best get started".

I poured myself a glass of wine sat back intending to start my tale.

"I'll start from the moment I arrived on your world. It wasn't a good introduction to your universe to the say the least and it put me on the path to becoming the man I am today. But I warn you that while it might be a good story its a long story".

"I'm a reporter" assured Kent "I like a good story even if it does take a long time to hear it all. Besides I still have a lot of questions and maybe this way you can answer them".

With that in mind I told him everything and he listened. Maybe I'd convince him maybe not only time and time travel would tell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note:**

**I just want to say sorry to anyone who has messaged me and not gotten a reply. I've been a bit under the weather this last couple of week and I was writing the First Gothic to distract myself while hopped up on energy drinks and sugary sweets between playing video games. So some things got forgotten again I apologise I do like talking to my readers so please do message me if you have something to say. **

**Selias**

Its a different style of story telling that I have wanted to try for a while but only now have my writing skills grown to the point were I think I can use this style effectively.

**Just A Question**

Yes as I said in the author note the story will be told mostly via flashback.

**Douchiesnacks**

I love that ep too as it shows that Superman doesn't need powers in order to be awesome.

**CookieMonsta1233**

Its already been established that Necromancer Gothic lives in Skyrim but that doesn't mean he won't visit other worlds such as the Warhammer one.

**Z2010Deadmeat**

This story will involve a number of DC animated verses existing in different dimensions mostly because some of the animated shows confuse the hell out of me what will all the rebooting they did. So the main universe is the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited with the odd visit to other DC animated verses for reasons that will make sense later.

**War Sage**

Thanks I was hoping it made sense.

**DC Gothic. Part One. **

**DC Dimension. Gotham City. Warehouse District. **

Before my eyes opened to show me the blurry world around me I heard voices.

"This one won't last long" a ultra deep male sounding voice said.

"No one would last long going up against you Bane" said a more civilized voice by way of reply.

"Indeed" was all that this Bane said in return.

"We can let one of the new boys have him" decided the posher sounding voice "they need the practice anyway".

My sight returned but the light was to bright to let me see anything other than faint outlines.

"We need better fighters if this venture of yours is going to profitable Mr Cobblepot" said a quiet but steady female voice "you can't just grab people off the street and throw them into the ring".

I could see movement now but everything was still to hazy to get any real details.

"Well we can't go around kidnapping professional fighters" stated Mr Cobblepot "that would only tip off the Batman".

Batman! What the hell was going on around here and did Cobblepot act as if Batman was real.

"He looks more like the intellectual type to me boss" said a new and normal sounding male voice "I found him with some fancy looking hightech gizmo".

"Let me see that" ordered the voice of Cobblepot.

My vision fully returned just enough to see some sort of device being waved in front of my face.

"Hey kid what is this thing?" asked Cobblepot in a voice that had lost its sophisticated tone.

As I focused on the device the rest of the world started to make sense. A short man in a nice suit complete with top hat was waving the device in front of me. I had no clue whatsoever as to what it was but it looked very expensive and complex to use.

I then tried to move but I seemed to be tied to the chair my backside was resting upon but even if I could of moved it didn't seem like as if I would of gotten very far.

"Stick him by the window Bane" commanded Cobblepot who I now knew was the Batman villain known as the Penguin as the nose was a bit of a giveaway "let him see what he's in for he doesn't start squawking".

The massive mass of muscle known as Bane lifted the chair and moved me over to the window with no trouble whatsoever. I didn't see much of him but I did discover that this was the version of Bane with all those tubes sticking into the back of his skull and Mexican wrestlers mask on his face.

"I don't think letting him watch a few fights will prepare him" said the calm female voice "if he is some sort of scientist he won't last seconds against any of our regulars".

It wasn't hard to discover what she meant by that. The window was dirty, as was everything around here, but I could see down on to what I guessed to be a factory floor. Only it wasn't being used as a factory floor should be.

Inside a makeshift ring two masked thugs were currently beating the crap out of the each other. They were certainly not following the The Marquess of Queensberry rules that was for sure not unless it had been updated to allow the use of crowbars.

"It does not matter" stated Mexican wrestler Bane "there are many in our growing army who have yet to know what it is to take a life. This weak thing will provide them with the chance".

"Building an army is foolish" argued the calm voiced woman I hadn't as of yet seen "HE might ignore a few underground fights but if the Batman realises that there is more to these fights than making a little money. Well I don't have to tell you two what will happen".

"You worry to much" assured Bane who I noticed was losing his accent he sounded more American in real life than the animated show "the Batman is too concerned with the Justice League to worry about the likes of us".

They were in for a rude awakening as Batman always finds time to deal with the likes of them.

My focus shifted to the fight going on below as I did need to prepared if only to find a chance to run like hell not only because that would allow me to figure out why I was suddenly in a comic book universe brought to life but also because avoiding death was important.

But those weren't the only reasons why my attention was being drawn to the fight.

I felt oddly compelled to watch, to study what was happening. It was a rather detached thing to do considering that really I should be panicking about the whole thing rather than trying to figure out what moves my future opponent might make.

My lack of panic made me wonder if I'd been drugged but judging by the pain I was feeling my guess was that I had in fact been knocked out by a blow to the back of my head.

As the crooks had said they had indeed been plucking people off the street as a method of recruitment for the army they were building under the cover of street fights.

Even as my eyes took in every detail of the fight below my mind was wondering why the Penguin and Bane wanted an army.

To fight Batman perhaps? It couldn't be to deal with the Justice League they'd need a lot more than thugs just to deal with even one League member never mind those heroes working together as a team.

No more likely this army was about gang warfare bands of crooks working together to take on other gangs. I doubted even the Dark Knight would normally care if some gang bangers wanted to off each other, not unless innocents were caught in the crossfire, but if they were forcible recruiting in an attempt to turn average people into killers then that would make him mad. And when Batman got mad the likes of Bane and the Penguin ended up in a world of hurt.

Which was a good thing for me as it meant that there was a small chance that the Caped Crusader might arrive and save me or at least attack this place giving me the chance to try and save myself. But I'd be a fool to rely on rescue, people who depend on heroes to save them are just victims waiting for their hopes to be crushed.

So this meant that I had to keep watching the fights while waiting for my chance to escape and as I did my confidence grew. Fighting my not be my thing but if I was going to die in that makeshift ring then I was going to go down fighting.

"Your turn to fight little man"

Bane broke the chair I was sitting on and then dragged me down to the ring. I tried to free myself but he was incredible strong so I stopped trying in order to conserve my energy.

With next to no effort Bane threw me into the ring like a child might throw an unwanted toy into a box.

A knife was then forced into my hands by one of the thugs, who wore a mask like Bane I noticed, then I was lifted up and told to fight.

My opponent was another masked man only this guy looked more like a tough as nails biker than a Mexican wrestler and his mask was that of a clown.

I guessed that in recent history he'd been part of Joker's gang. Why he was now working for Penguin and Bane I didn't know but I did know was that guys who worked for Joker were often complete psychopaths who would have no trouble gutting me like a freshly caught fish.

I'd watched this guy fight before he was good and if got near me with that knife I was dead.

"Okay boys good odds for the Nerd, he won't last long" declared some Pimp in the background.

No one bothered to bet. I found that rather insulting.

"Let one of new meat fight!" shouted out Bane "at least make it a little sporting".

The clown left the ring and was replaced by a thug closer to my age whose face wasn't covered he didn't look like much of a killer either.

"You fight or you die" reminded Bane "if neither of you fight I shall kill you both".

Saturday morning cartoon viewing this was not.

A bell rang and with a strange calmness I prepared to die as there was no chance I would get away now.

However my dancing partner wasn't as of accepting of death as I was and he charged.

Thankfully for me at least he came at me like his knife was an axe and I was a tree. It was a simple matter for me to side step while he went flying out of thing ring. The smoothness of what I had done amazed me I'd never moved liked that before at least no easily.

A group of masked biker thugs pushed my crazed foe back onto the stage that served as the wrestling ring and after taking a few deep breathes the reluctant killer came at me again. This time he aimed lower before he charged.

In another smooth move I just dodged the attack much like an earlier knife fighter had back when I was watching these fights rather than participating in them.

While the would-be warrior got back into the ring, this time thrown in by Bane, I considered that I might actually win this fight, but I wasn't sure if I could take a life even to save my own. This was a Thunderdome type situation. Two men go into ring but only one gets to walk out so one of us would die and being unwilling to kill meant it would be me.

So I had no choice. I had kill to survive.

My opponent was being more careful with his next attack he didn't charge me but rather he tried to make move towards the edge of the ring by waving his knife around not actually making contact but it did force me to keep moving.

If the crowds jeers were anything to go by the crooks at the edge of stage would grab me and let the frantic knife wielder gut me if I wandered to close to the edge. My would-be killer had friends here but I didn't so using that tactic on him would be pointless.

I just about to try lunging forward in order to stab my foe hoping that I could at least kill him quickly when a window exploded. Then a scared voice shouted.

"Batman!"

Looking around it became obvious that I was the only person here happy to see the Dark Knight of Gotham.

Half the crowd was running while the other half got ready to fight and I got the pleasure of watching Wayne in action, it was one hell of an impressive show.

Batman's moves were perfect, he blocked every blow and his own punches and kicks never failed to connect I was seeing a master at work.

I even got to see him use a few toys. One gangbanger got tazered for his trouble and another got wrapped up in some sort of very thin but also very tough cable as he tried to flee. The Dark Knight even used one of his trademark Batarangs to hit a door switch which prevented the escape of a few the thugs.

Those who had been trying to flee soon joined the others as Batman rendered them unconscious .

The whole time I just stood there with a big grin on my face. Even as the Caped Crusader came right at me.

That was when I realised that I was still standing in the ring holding a knife while smiling like a lunatic,

In a smart move I dropped the knife and raised both my hands as it was the universal sign for please don't subject me to horrible pain and then possible death. But Batman didn't look like as if he was going to let me leave without a few bruises. That might have something to do with the fact that my knife had blood on it from a earlier fight.

A punch came my way but I was able to block using a move Batman himself had made use of only moments ago. The same thing happened again as another punch came my way.

Then my luck ran out Batman moved and it looked as if he might perform a round house kick but instead he moved in a way I didn't expect. Out of no where his elbow connected to my face and then world went away.

**Five Thousand Years Into The Future. DC Earth. The Palace Of Exile. **

Clark Kent couldn't but smile. I guessed that he was picturing the Bat knocking me out in with that oh so very painful method of his.

"So your first day on this world wasn't a good one," admitted Superman once he stopped grinning "and Batman made it worse but I don't see how that justifies the things you must of done in order to seize power".

"It didn't" I replied "really that day was just bad luck if anything but it did make me realise how much danger I was in. My justification for world domination wasn't one event it was many events spread out over many years. That day just put me on the path to becoming an assassin".

That surprised my dinner guest.

"You were an assassin! Why would I invite an assassin to join the League?".

I couldn't give him a good answer but I could speculate.

"Only you knew, or will know, what your motivation was. I have a few theories of course but nothing concrete".

"And those are" the alien prompted.

"Well the empire I created did bring peace to a troubled galaxy. Its possible that I will prove this claim to you and that you will allow events to unfold into order to ensure that future, therefore securing this time line. You've never been one to let your own desires and needs to get in the way of something that needed to be done. If motivated enough you could of denied yourself some of information I'm going to give in order to allow the future to unfold as it should. More than once I saw you use the information you gained from this trip forward in time to bring about a better outcome but at other times you seemed ignorant of events you should of known about and planned for well in advance. Perhaps you allowed these events to happen or perhaps you didn't allow yourself to know everything. Whatever the truth is I will never know because you never told me and you never will".

"How can you be so sure of that?" questioned the Man of Steel.

"Because if you had I'd know now and would be able tell you".

Time travel made the use of tenses extremely difficult.

"Unless your lying" accused the reporter.

I shook my head and said.

"There's no need for me to lie. Anything I do tell that is in inaccurate would be the result of me remembering events wrongly. We are talking about stuff that happen tens of thousands of years ago here. Besides when you get back you'll be able to check out my story for yourself. Just question Lex Luthor about it".

Mentioning Lex always got Superman's full attention.

"You worked for Lex Luther as an assassin!".

"I guess we can skip to that part" I replied before starting the next part of my story "Lex didn't give me much choice in the matter anyway but it was my idea to become an assassin".


	3. Chapter 3

**Reviews**

**champion of the little people**

That question is very hard to answer.

Logically Superman can't tell anyone what will happen when he goes back or act on that information because if he did he would change the future enough that DC Gothic won't be there in the future to send Superman back to the past.

However in the Justice League ep Savage sends Superman back in order to prevent Savage from destroying the world. Superman does this and we see Savage fade away as the time line changes. Now time travel paradoxes aside this means that Superman can chose to change the past by telling the League but even if he does it won't change anything until after DC Gothic sends him back so it won't change the story I'm telling.

So to answer your question. Maybe, and it doesn't actually matter even if he did as given the nature of the DC multi-verse both time lines would play out anyway.

Owlman discovers this in the Justice League animated film Crisis On Two Earth. As he says 'Every decision we make is meaningless because somewhere, on a parallel Earth, we have already made the opposite choice'.

So again to answer your question. What Superman does when he gets back doesn't matter at all.

**Guest**

And it won't be the last.

**Douchiesnacks**

And it also proves that he was lying about not being a boy scout. I bet Clark Kent got all the badges. Weapon making Fire building, dog harnessing, outdoor cooking and survival badges at least.

**War Sage**

Chapters should get bigger as the story progresses.

**Selias**

Grammar has different rules in different parts of the world. In the UK we are taught in school to always surround quoted words with quotation marks:

"I have no intention of staying," he said.

Now I tend to forget to use the commas as I'm rather bad with them but in British English a quote is always surrounded by what we called inverted commas even the punctuation marks:

"I have no intention of staying!" he shouted.

That was how I was taught. I understand that it is different elsewhere but since its called the English language that means everyone else is doing it wrong. But we also drive on the left hand side of the road so perhaps were just crazy.

**Just A Question**

Its the whole story really but with some commentary from Superman in the future to help answer some questions and to allow the story to keep going at a certain pace.

**tylermech66 **

Your assuming he'll have a choice in the matter but your right no Gothic would work for someone else unless there was something in it for him.

**DC Gothic. Part 3.**

**Gotham City. Lexcorp Building. Top Floor. **

For the second time this week I found myself tied to a chair and also for the second time this week I found myself in the company of a comic book villain.

This time however it wasn't one of Batman's foes who had captured me. Instead I found myself in the company of Lex Luthor who was the main nemesis of Superman, or at least his main nemesis here on Earth.

"Ah good your awake" said Lex "I was beginning to think that you would sleep the day away".

"Lex Luthor" was all I got to say before someone hit me over the head.

"That's 'Mr Luthor' to you" corrected a female voice.

I turned my head ignoring the office around and focused on the woman who had struck me. It wasn't hard to figure out who she was, beautiful woman, immaculate uniform and appearance, along with a skirt so short it was a surprising that it hid her underwear.

She was Mercy. Luthor's driver, among other things.

"That's enough Mercy," commanded Lex confirming her name for me "I need him awake".

Well that was good news for me, at least in the short term. Lex needed me for something and since it couldn't be information it was me he wanted and that meant it was likely that I would live through this meeting.

Luthor started to move around the room as he talked giving me the chance to examine him. He wore a business suit that looked as if it cost more than most people's annual salaries. His face was handsome but cruel and he was of course completely hairless on top of his head.

"Do you even have a name?" asked Lex.

He didn't give me a chance to answer.

"You must have a name but whatever it is I can't find it because you don't seem to exist. No records whatsoever. Your finger prints aren't on file. Your DNA isn't either. I even took a photo but my computers couldn't find a match. So I ask again. Do even you have a name?".

"Of course I do" I replied in a tone of voice that made me sound as if I was addressing a slow witted child "everyone has a name".

I should of been more respectful or at least polite considering how dangerous Luthor is but I was to angry to care.

"Are you sure you should be bothering with this one?" inquired Mercy "he's just some punk goth kid of the street who knows how to fight".

I couldn't see either of my kidnappers at this point but I got the impression that some sort of silent exchange was taking place.

Lex wasn't the kind of person who liked to be questioned and Mercy was his servant and she didn't seem the type to upset her boss, so maybe this was a double act of some kind.

Bad cop, good cop maybe? If so then Lex should be the good cop or at least the more friendly one. No doubt he would make me an offer at some point and if I didn't take it Mercy would be the one to convince me otherwise.

"He's clearly a metahuman of some sort" said Lex while walking back into my field of vision "and all metahumans are worth bothering with".

I couldn't help but ask.

"I'm a metahuman?"

"You should know" replied Mercy.

Lex gave me a better answer.

"Its possible that you don't even know it but the DNA test confirms that you are indeed a metahuman. R&D believes that you have an ability they have named Visual Power Replication".

I didn't need to ask for clarification, it was freely given.

"You seem to have the ability to quickly learn or at least mimic any skill or ability you personally observe being used and that could include super powers".

I'd suspected that was true and I had been in the process of testing it out when I was kidnapped.

"If so then you have the potential to become the most powerful metahuman on the planet".

Should this be true and I could indeed copy super powers then he was right, I could become very powerful but it wouldn't be easy to get to that point.

Lex pressed a switch a large TV screen appeared as a section of the wall lifted up. After another switch was pressed I was treated to a video of the Justice League fighting what I guessed to be a version of Doomsday only it was the Justice Lords not the League.

But that wasn't important what was important was that Lex Luthor had no idea how my power worked and that made me laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Luthor.

"What's funny is that you thought that this would work" I explained "I'm not stupid if it was this simple then I would already have their powers. The Leagues been on the news none stop since Hawkgirl's people invaded".

**Five Thousand Years Into The Future. DC Earth. The Palace Of Exile. **

Superman couldn't help but butt in.

"Wait Hawkgirl's people they're going to invade? How do they even know where Earth is?"

This was my fault I'd forgotten the order of events. That invasion came after Superman's trip the future.

"Hawkgirl isn't lost in another part of the universe she is in fact a spy but she doesn't know about the planned invasion so don't blame her" I quickly explained "but it doesn't matter really you will save the day again so don't worry about it".

"But why do the..."

I stopped him right there.

"Focus Kent this story is about me not Hawkgirl and if you keep interrupting this will take weeks not days".

Superman went back to being Clark Kent getting a story. I could almost see the notebook and pen in his hands.

"Right were was I?" I asked myself "oh yes Luthor was showing me footage.

**Gotham City. Lexcorp Building. Top Floor. **

Rather than get angry Luthor actually started to smile.

"I thought as much" he said "and this confirms my earlier theory as why you were buying tickets to so many sporting events".

Wait he'd been spying on me?

"I have agents in this sorry excuse for a city" Lex started to explain "they are always on the look out for metahuman talent but most metahumans are limited to one power that's more of a gimmick than anything useful. My agents also keep an eye on Gotham's more seedy elements including the likes of Bane and the Penguin".

That made sense. Knowledge was power after all and it always paid to keep an eye on people like Bane and the Penguin.

"So this agent noticed me stand up to Batman" I realised.

"Yes he did" replied Lex "via camera he saw you arrive in that warehouse and naturally assumed that you'd die quickly but not only did you survive you actually fought Batman. Admittedly not very well but you should of gone down much quicker than you did".

The fact that I hadn't wet myself and run away screaming like a girl was impressive enough in my opinion. Batman was a scary dude even more so when your face to face and he thinks you need a beating.

"That alone was interesting enough for my agent to start tracking you. He followed you from a distance and when you mugged someone only moments after meeting Batman he decided to order a background check".

I felt the need to correct Lex at this point.

"Actually I was the one being mugged. Some guy pulled a knife on me demanding money I didn't have any so I took his".

Lex wasn't surprised by this nor did he think I was lying.

"Gotham is full of such trash" he commented before carrying on with what he was saying before "My agent kept following you and noticed that you were moving from one sporting event to another. Not something a British tourist would do or an agent of her Majesty".

Hold on did he think I was a spy? That sounded silly but then again I had no record, no I.D and a super power so it wasn't a huge leap of deduction for the agent who had tracked me to make.

"But your not either of those things," said Lex "your clearly a metahuman but aside from that I know nothing about you which is something I don't like. All you metahumans pick a name for yourselves and I want to know it".

Wait hold on he didn't mean my actual name he wanted to know my super hero or villain name. Only problem there was that I didn't have one.

What could I call myself that suited the image of a punk goth kid?

"Gothic" I decided out loud without thinking it through "its Gothic".

No one commented on the name choice so I went with it.

"Well then Gothic" said Luthor "now that I have a name I have an offer for you".

Ah the offer I can't refuse. Such a classic move for a villain to make.

"What sort of offer?" I asked knowing full well that it wasn't really an offer at all if anything it was an ultimatum.

"I need a man of your talents," Lex explained "some one who could do things for me, an agent if you will. What sort of agent you'll be is up to as will what skills you decide to pick up. If your ability works as I suspect you'd be better off learning skills before trying to acquire powers. We can work up to that later".

Actually the best way would be to join the Justice League and watch them in action but they weren't recruiting just yet. They'd need to rebuild the Watchtower first and that would months at least.

My sort of plan had been to pick up the kind of skills a hero needs like fighting by going to sporting that I was in Gotham it would be a simple to start making a name for myself by attacking crooks. Then I would capture a few and make them show me there skills, such as lock picking, hacking, marksmanship, that sort of thing.

This would get Batman's attention sooner or later. Batman would object to me catching crooks as this was his town but rather than get me locked up he'd try to run me out of town or better yet if he saw some potential in me he'd send me off to join the League. Even that didn't work I could just keep picking up skills and abilities until someone in the League did notice me.

But Luthor could be the means to get me into the League much quicker. If he wanted an agent that could one day rival Superman, then I could use his resources to get me access to the people who had the skills I needed.

Of course Lex would want me to use my skills to benefit him that was the whole reason why I was here. So he had to have some means of control over me even if it was just the offer of riches and power, and that meant hiring me as if he was my employer he'd have a certain amount of power over me.

"If I were you I'd chose the role of assassin," remarked Lex "its risky but good paying work and I know someone who could teach you the right skills for the job".

Me an assassin. I'd never considered the idea but it did have merits.

"Who could train me?" I asked.

"Floyd Lawton," replied Lex "also know as Deadshot".

"Okay I'm in" I told my new boss.

I so wanted to met Deadshot.

**Five Thousand Years Into The Future. DC Earth. The Palace Of Exile. **

"I'm still confused about a few things," remarked Kent as we both sipped our coffees, or at least what passed for coffee these days, "why did Lex want to turn you into his assassin. He could easily hire one if he wished".

Yes I could see why he would be confused about that so enlightened him.

"It was because I didn't exist," I explained "think about how the police find killers, they run fingerprints, trace people's DNA or even simply question eye witnesses to identify suspects but all that would be useless with me. My DNA wasn't on record neither were my fingerprints and even if they were I had no identity to connect them to. Even Batman uses such methods to solve crimes but with me they were useless. When I went rogue no one in the League could catch me because there was no one to catch. A man with no history, no name, no family is hard to find that's why metahumans who either fight or cause crimes use alter egos, but with me there was no secret identity to cover up".

Superman nodded to express his understanding. As a reporter he relied on facts to solve crimes even Superman needed evidence of guilt before he'd drag you off to the police.

"So you killed people for Luthor?" Kent asked next with no hostility in his voice.

"Actually I never killed anyone until after I joined the League, but that's about a year later so I'll cover that year before moving on".

"Before you do could I get something to write with" requested Clark.

I should of really prepared for that but it was no trouble for one of the robots to provide a pen and a notebook made of paper.

"I see some thing never change" commented Kent as he started writing stuff down in shorthand.

"There are much better ways of recording information these days" I supplied "but if you want a record this is best as I don't want modern technology ending up in your time. Savage nearly took over the world with a laptop that was merely a few decades more advanced that what they had in world war two, can you imagine what might happen if I gave you even the most basic of hand held computers humanity uses today. Most people get implants so only children use hand held computers but still the potential risks".

Kent nodded his understanding

"Its something I've seen for myself so I understand," he assured "but let's get back to your days as an assassin who didn't kill people".

I had to admit that this did seem a little odd so I gave him a full explanation.

"Once I took the job my stuff was returned to me including a hightech device that I would later discover was a means to travel the multi-verse, but that's not important right now".

It would be important later, very important in fact but telling Kal El about it now would served no purpose other than to distract him from the story.

"Luthor provided me with a nice apartment in Gotham as an attempt to make me see the benefit of staying in his employ and to distract me from the fact that I had made a deal with a devil".

Superman made a sound which could be summarised verbally as 'you got that right'.

"He let me relax and enjoy room service for few days while a fake identity was created, one that would let me live a somewhat normal life as long as I didn't do something silly like donate blood or get myself arrested. After that Deadshot arrived in order to start my training. Luthor didn't have to pay him much Deadshot was rather eager to pass on his skills and with my power I'd learned very fast so it wasn't as if Lawton was going to spend the years it would normally to create a master assassin".

"But you never killed anyone?" asked Kent once again.

"There was no need," I replied "Lawton knew it wasn't worth it what with Gotham being Batman's home, so instead he taught me the basics of everything from weapon's maintenance to tightrope walking. We even went hunting in the wilderness a few times so I could practice my killing skills on animals".

"Sounds like fun" commented Clark in a tone of voice that lacked feeling.

"It was," I agreed "in fact it was one of the best times I had in my very long life. Lawton and I never got that close as he's not a friendly man but he did teach me a lot before he got arrested during some job in Istanbul. He was a distant mentor but an effective one".

I couldn't help but spend a few moments feeling sentimental about the whole thing but if faded fast and I got on with my story.

"Anyway Luthor ensured that I got a well rounded education by sending over a few experts in more mundane skills. It was hard work but in six months I went from a Nerd who knew a moves in a fight to someone the League would be interested in, very interested in".

"So you made a name for yourself and then joined the League" concluded Superman "no doubt Lex would want to you take it down from the inside. I'm assuming you didn't".

I shook my head.

"No I defected and the League protected me but before that Luthor had a job for me, a test run if you will a way to prove that all the money he'd spent on me was worth it. He wanted an assassin to kill you after all so he needed to know I could pull the trigger".

"Who did he send you after?" inquired the Man of Steel.

"Savage," I answered "he never told me why but he clearly wanted Savage gone. However Lex didn't believe that Savage was immortal but I knew differently".

"How did you kill him?" asked Kent.

"Do you want the long or the short version?" I asked.

Kent considered his answer.

"The short version since I don't intend to stay any longer than I have to".

I gave him the short version

"I couldn't kill him" I said "he really is immortal but I could exile him to another reality given that while I was training under Lawton I was also figuring out how to use the device that had brought me to your world".

It hadn't been that hard to figure it out as the device was just a copy of the one used by an alternate version of Lex Luthor to get help from this world's Justice League, what had taken time was using it without anyone noticing..

"I tracked Savage to a swap in Louisiana where he'd built a hidden base called the Hall of Doom. It was cloaked but when I finally found the place he let me right in the front door. When I found him I shot him only he didn't stay dead".

Which actually prevented Savage from nearly wiping out half the population of world as he'd been setting the stage for that event when I arrived. But since that never happened there was no evidence to back up the claim should I make it.

I also never did find out how Grodd got his paws on that base, or at least a copy of it and now I didn't care enough to find out.

"When he healed I saw it so I got that power too which is why I'm still alive. But I had a job to do and I wanted Luthor to think that he had me under his thumb. So I shot Savage again and while he was recovering I exiled Savage to another reality a world were humanity had never evolved".

"So Savage is still alive," figured Kent "but alone on some world".

Superman had exiled people to the Phantom Zone so he couldn't cast moral judgement on me for that.

"Yes he rules a world but has no subjects to oppress, at the time it was the best choice I could make. I took a personal possession of his as evidence for Luthor and thanks to the skills I gained from my tutors I was able to cloak the base for when I needed it later".

I noticed how late it was getting so I decided to get on with the story rather than give more details on what else I did for Lex.

"At this time you were starting to recruit," I told Superman "the alien invasion and meeting yet another evil version of the League convinced you that you needed more people in the League if only to have people around who could keep the founding members in check. I went out of my way to get noticed by involving myself in Batman's affairs".

"I like to hear about that" requested Kent.

"Tomorrow," I told him "you need to rest. We can met for breakfast and I'll tell all about how I joined the Justice League".

With that we both went to bed but I don't think either of us got much sleep.


End file.
